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shabby chic

Hey friends! Today, I want to share with you something that’s near and dear to my heart…antique china! (insert sigh)

I have a huge weakness for any type of vintage china that’s decorated with a gold rim and that has the pretty pastel colors….Aaaand anything dainty, floral and delicate! In other words, I love shabby chic!

My love for vintage china began probably about a year ago, when I discovered some super-inexpensive (25 cents each, that is!!) fancy dishes at a thrift store. When I realized I could find delicate beauty on the dime for my tableware, I was sold! I don’t want any of my collection to be too matchy-matchy. What’s the fun in that?! Granted, some of it is definitely from the same line of each other, but that’s okay. I just like variety. 🙂

My number one rule when buying china is that I have to absolutely LOVE it. There’s so much vintage china out there (via hand-me-downs, thrift stores, estate sales, and antique stores), that if I just buy every inexpensive piece that I see, I’d have a serious problem of clutter!

So in addition to the above pics, below is a little snippet of my collection. You’ll notice that I’ve paired some pieces with each other that don’t share the same design, but they DO share a similar color palette (which is key).

What do you think about the gilded salt cellars and the vegetable bowl (below)? I’m in love!

And I love these beautiful tea cups! Look at those gorgeous curves!

When my dishes aren’t on display, they’re tucked away as neatly as possible in one of my kitchen cabinets (pic below). And to take it a step further, I added a few sheets of scrapbook paper to the back of the cabinet wall!

I hope you enjoyed viewing my little collection. It’s still growing, and one of the main things I’m on the lookout for right now, are dainty tea cups with pretty handles. That’s what I love about antique shopping. You never know what you’ll find!

What do you think about my china? Do you have a similar love for fancy dishes? I’d love to hear all about it!

So here we go folks….my first blog post….ever. It’s taken me a while to actually get around to hitting the “publish” button. I’m in no way a tech-savvy person whatsoever. So after feelings of frustration and defeat, asking God and my honey for forgiveness for my attitude, and taking a breather, I am FINALLY posting to blogland! Woohoo!

At the beginning of the school year, I was trying to think of something cute for our kiddos’ teachers…something that would help to start the year off right. And this gift box is what I came up with.

First, please excuse the cell-phone pic quality. (Since my birthday is just around the corner, I’m hoping my wonderful hubby will take into consideration that I seriously am in need of a nice Canon Rebel…ehem.)

What you’ll need:

wooden box

quality metallic gold spray paint (My fave is Krylon Colormaster.)

chalk paint (I used Americana.)

chip board initials

wooden medallion

foam brush

glue dots

pretty scrapbook paper

scissors

screw driver (optional)

First, if you can, use your screw driver to take off the hardware so that you don’t accidentally paint your hardware.

Next, use your foam brush to paint the box with your chalk paint. Use thin layers, and continue to smooth out any excess paint. It dries quickly! Oh, and be sure to leave your box open while it dries. Otherwise, well, we all know what happens if you forget….

Third, use glue dots to adhere your chip board letter to the medallion, and then spray paint your newly customized decorative piece. After that’s dry (which is fairly quickly), use more glue dots to adhere the medallion to your beautiful box.

Fourth, after you’ve screwed your hardware back in place, take a step back and admire your gorgeous piece of work. So exciting! We’re almost finished!

Fifth, you’ll want to line the inside of your box with some really fun paper (e.g., a striped, polka-dot, or floral pattern, or simply a complimentary color to your chalk paint). Trim to fit inside, and then after attaching more glue dots (aren’t they wonderful?!) to the back of your paper, adhere it to the inside of your box.

How fun and cute is that?! So easy, and so quick! You can also add some colorful/patterned ribbon to embellish it even more.

To add a little more to this conversation piece, I stuck a few stamp sets that I purchased on clearance at my local crafts store and a little “Hello” note from my kiddos.

And there are also other ways to use this idea….A blogger friend of mine actually painted hers a beautiful white, attached a spray-painted medallion on the front (after removing the hardware) and used it as a decorative accessory on top of books! So simple, yet it packs a powerful punch!

What do you think about this simple diy project? How would you paint your box, and in what ways would you use yours? I’d love to hear from you! Comment below, or stop by and say hey on Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter, HomeTalk and Facebook. It always makes my day to hear from my sweet readers!